The document provides information about an English class, including announcing that exams have been marked and can be checked online, clarifying the due date for an assignment, introducing new vocabulary words, summarizing key events in a novel being read in class, sharing philosophical statements from the novel, and assigning homework to be completed. Students are asked to locate philosophical statements in the novel and write a response to one, and new vocabulary is defined and examples are provided.

1. Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Literature: Novel
Grammar and Writing: a couple of
quick points (if time)

2. Housekeeping
• Exams are marked. Check your mark online. I
will hand back the exams at the end of the class
on Monday.
• Check your overall grade online. Click on the
“Grades” link on the left-hand side of the page.
Discuss any concerns with me.
• Incorrect Due Date: Character Assignment Part 1
was not due this week; it is due next Wednesday
(the 17th). Bring your work on Part 1 to class to
use in Part 2.

3. Comprehension Quiz
• Answer questions 1-10 in one or two
complete clear sentences.
• Read the questions carefully. Ask me if there
is a word you don’t know in the question.
• You have 15 minutes to complete this quiz.

4. New Vocabulary, p. 99-168?
• kidney (n.) – organ that filters toxins from our body
• wake (n.) – gathering after the funeral for family, friends, acquaintences
• Thor – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor
• wisest (adj.) – root = wise
• chomping (v. and n.) = chewing (v.), or the act of chewing (n.)
“chomping at the bit” – impatient, ready to go
• hydrocephalus (n.) – medical condition where there is too much fluid on the brain.
• banish (v.) – to send someone or something away, outside of a group or
community
• corny (adj.) – unoriginal or overly sentimental (sweet)
• poetic (adj.) – something that is said or done in a romantic way or the way a poet
would say or do it
• retched (v.) – vomited
• dorky (adj.) – nerdy, goofy, clumsy and awkward
• taut (adj.) – tightly stretched
• rehearse (v.) – practice before a performance; dry-run

5. True Diary, p. 99-168
Key Events
• Jr.’s sister gets married
• Jr. catches Penelope throwing up in the washroom – she admits she has an eating
disorder; they become friends/start dating and he becomes more popular
• Rowdy accepts Junior’s cartoon
• Roger and Penelope discover that Junior is poor
• Junior talks to Gordy about being an apple
[Gordy says: “life is a constant struggle between being an individual and being a
member of a community.”]
• Jr.’s sister sends a letter to him; she says she is starting to write – she’s happy
• Jr. and the Reardon Basketball Team play against Wellpinit
• Someone in the crowd throws a coin at Junior and he has to go to the hospital
• Jr.’s father goes on drinking binge over Christmas but saves $5 for Junior that he
could have spent on booze
• Jr.’s grandmother is killed by a drunk driver. Other people in Wellpinit stop bullying
him.
• Ted the billionare comes to Junior’s grandmother’s funeral

6. True Diary, p. 99-168
Philosophical Statements
• Throughout the novel, Junior, and other characters often
make serious or profound statements about people or life.
Ex: “The quality of a man’s life is in direct proportion to his
commitment to excellence, regardless of his chosen field of
endeavor,” Coach (quoting Lombardi, p. 148)
• There are several of these statements in this section (p. 99-
168)
• Scan these pages now to locate one or more of these
statements.

7. True Diary, p. 99-168
Philosophical Statements
“Life is a constant struggle between being an individual and being a
member of a community.” Gordy, p. 131
“Lies have short shelf lives. Lies go bad. Lies rot and stink up the
joint.” Junior, p.119
“Love and loss can make you crazy.” Junior, p. 109
“If you let people into your life a little bit they can be pretty damn
amazing,” Junior, p.129
“If you care about something enough it’s going to make you cry. But
you have to use it. Use your pain. Use your fear.” Coach, p. 144
“It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.”
Coach/Junior, p.148
“You have to dream big to get big.” Junior’s father, p.126
“There all kinds of addicts I guess. We all have pain. And we all look
for ways to make the pain go away.” Junior, p. 107

8. Journal Response
Pick one of these philosophical statements and
write a brief personal response or reflection.
You may choose to agree, disagree, explain how
it relates to Junior’s experience in the story, or
how it relates to your own experience.

9. Vocabulary, p. 169-230
Homophobic (adj.)
= having fear or disapproval of gay people
Ex: Tom used to be homophobic, but after he got to
know his openly gay coworker, Robert, he was
able to see that Robert was a good person, the
same as everyone else.
Ex: I am trying to overcome my homophobic
feelings, but it is difficult because I was taught
that it was wrong to be gay.

10. Vocabulary, p. 169-230
legacy (n.)
= anything handed down, as from an ancestor,
like money; the impact someone has
Ex: Many residential school survivors have
passed on a legacy of violence and addiction
to their own children.
Ex: His most important legacy to his children is
not money, but the values he taught them.

11. Vocabulary, p. 169-230
spontaneous (adj.)
= happening or arising without apparent cause; self-
generated, without planning or design, on impulse
Ex: At that moment, I made a spontaneous decision to
leave my job without giving any notice, even though I
had been perfectly happy up to that point.
Ex: She was a very spontaneous person who did not plan
anything but did whatever seemed to be interesting
to her at that very moment.

12. Vocabulary, p. 169-230
demoralize (v.)
= to make somebody lose confidence or courage in
doing something
Ex: Sally tried to demoralize her opponents by
“talking trash” before the game, hoping they
would feel intimidated and play badly.
Ex: I felt demoralized after I received my grades,
but after I talked with the teacher I regained my
confidence.

13. Vocabulary, p. 169-230
nomadic (adj.)
= tending to travel and change settlements
Ex: Many aboriginal tribes were nomadic, moving
from place to place according to the seasons and
what kind of food and game (animals) were
available.
Ex: She had already lived in Beijing, Vancouver,
Italy, Australia, Cophenhagen, and Fiji, but she
still wasn’t ready to give up her nomadic ways.

14. Homework
For Monday:
• Complete and hand-in practice cause-and-effect
paragraph no later than Saturday!
• In-class cause-and-effect paragraph Monday.
Wednesday:
• Finish reading the novel.
• Continue to take notes on the story and
characters.
• Complete the final vocabulary paragraph.
• Review the story before the quiz on Wednesday.